


'Be The Serpent Underneath'

by Siloux



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-14 14:05:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4567356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siloux/pseuds/Siloux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Princess Caoimhe of Connacht - beautiful, intelligent but shaped and tainted by hauntings of her past, gets thrown in the middle of a war between her family and the Vikings of Denmark.  (Slight AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note - I do not own any recognisable content from Vikings.

## Kingdom of Connacht – 778 AD

Laughter echoed across the courtyard – sweet and musical. The laughter was commonplace in Connacht Castle and had been for several years it was the laughter of Princess Caoimhe – daughter of Aengus III and Queen Catherine of Northumbria. A young girl who had seen only seven summers, tall for her age and willowy much like her late mother. However the rest of her was entirely Aengus – curled hair the colour of fire and round expressive eyes like little emeralds that never failed her when it came to wanting a new dress or getting her out of trouble. 

“Princess, come here, please!” Cried Siobhann the young girls keeper, chasing the wild girl across the courtyard weaving in and out of maids and servants. With another short burst of laughter, Caoimhe saw her father approaching and headed for him, not noticing the stricken look upon his face.  
“Thank the Lord. Caoimhe come quickly” The King spoke rushing forward to pick up his daughter, then charged forward like the Devil himself was on his back. Caoimhe looked confusedly over her fathers shoulder as soldiers began forming lines around the courtyard all of them with fierce looks upon their faces, the likes of which the girl had never seen before.

Caoimhe sat upon a chair in the Great Hall as her father's advisors or Councilmen rushed in, taking their places close to her father ready to listen to his word, each of them wearing varying degrees of worry across their weathered faces.  
“I have received word that King Ferdia has breached through the treaty line with a fully assembled army headed directly for us. I can assume that his intentions are less than honourable, do any of you have any word from the border” Aengus asked his voice decisive and full of anger.  
“Your Grace, Dartriage and Caibre have already fallen to Ulsters attack” Councilman James spoke quickly avoiding eye contact with the King.  
“Very well, make sure that Ui Aella is reinforced they must not be allowed to get any further in to our land, the army is already scattered between the three counties. It should bide us enough time to get word to Munster for help” Aengus stated his hands drifting over his daughter's head, trying to formulate a plan to get her out of the keep and down to the docks without risking injury to her. 

As much as Aengus hated to admit it, he knew the second that Ferdia’s forces had breached the Connacht-Ulster border that all hope was lost, half of their army having already been sent to assist his ally and brother-in-law King Aelle of Northumbria.  
“Councilman Fergus take Caoimhe make sure tha-“ The Kings orders were stopped by a piercing shriek from outside the Keep. A soldier threw open the great hall doors rushing past the King's advisors.  
“My Lord they are here King Ferdia and part of his army are at our gates!” The soldier exclaimed.  
“Have faith in our Lord God, pray that we see this through. Set a perimeter around the gates, they must not breach the walls!” The soldier took the orders in before turning on his heel and leaving once more.

“That bastard must have killed our men at the border and delayed the messages further down the line. Fergus, Bautner you must take Caoimhe through the King's passage that leads down to the docks. Do not let yourselves be caught, they must not get a hold of my daughter!” Aengus said scooping Caoimhe up once more embracing her tightly, muttering words of love and comfort in to her ear before passing her on to Fergus, tears in his eyes knowing that he would not see his daughter again.  
_**“Athair, Athair aon!”**_ Caoimhe screamed as she was rushed through the antechamber eyes blurred and burning. 

The trio ran through several hallways the sounds of swords striking each other and yells growing over closer no matter how fast they ran.  
“Find the Princess!” A booming voice called echoing through the stone corridors causing a spike of fear to shoot through Caoimhe. Councilman Fergus took a sharp left into the King's Hall ripping through a tapestry of King Aengus I revealing a pathway. The unlit path seemed to never end for Caoimhe who had always feared the dark, until finally a dim light could be seen at the end and the sound of the sea could be heard.

_**“A bheith fos, Banphrionsa”**_ Bautner whispered as they exited the tunnel. Caoimhe let out out a frightened shriek as her eyes locked on to the decimated bodies of Ulster soldiers strewn across the hill before the dock.  
“My lords we have the boat prepared, we must leave now for England before it is too late” General Olison called from the dock firing an arrow into the head of an incoming Ulster soldier. Quickly the trio ran down the hill towards the awaiting boat already loaded to with armed soldiers, shields and bows raised ready to protect the Princess. Caoimhe was quickly passed to another soldier safely and was quickly hidden behind the shields of several soldiers.

The Princess turned her head as the loud sound of hooves echoed across the dock her red hair flying wildly in the wind. A crowned man upon horseback appeared at the top of the hill they had just crossed, the King of Ulster looking proud in his victory. As the boat was rowed away from the dock he lifted something that he held in his left hand, something that would forever haunt the young Princess, **her father’s head.**

\-------------------------------------------

PRONOUNCIATION & TRANSLATION

‘Athair, Athair aon!” – Father, Father no!  
‘A bheith fós, Banphrionsa’ – Be still, Princess

-

Caoimhe – Kee-Va  
Aengus – Eng-iss

Vikings is my newest addiction it's overtaken my brain, cramming me with story ideas and thus BTSU has been born! This is just a background on my main character Caoimhe, a flashback to understand where she came from. The chapters from here on will be from Season 2 onwards, where all the Viking goodness kicks in!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any recognisable content of Vikings.

### Wessex – 792 AD

Laughter echoed around the courtyard – sweet and musical. A darkened figure stood tall looking down with a bitter smile as the children played together. Nobles had travelled far and wide for a meeting of ally’s in England, this council of Kings was rarely assembled in recent times. As the Kings grew evermore paranoid the Councils became less, their wrinkled fingers and greedy souls refusing to leave their thrones.

“Caoimhe, what are you doing up here?” A voice brought the figure out of the shadows. Caoimhe had not changed much since her childhood, in her opinion. Her hair was still wild although tamer than it had been in her youth but still it maintained its deep red, that she had inherited from her father. She had grown ever taller towering over a large portion of men in Wessex, her body had taken its womanly shape in her seventeenth year, attracting much unwanted attention. The most noticeable of the changes was her eyes. Once her green eyes had glistened with joy and love had now lost their life, since the murder of her father so many years before.

“What is it you want, Aethelwulf?” The Princess spoke her head turning to face King Ecbert’ son with a monotone.  
“My father sent me to find you the council is about to convene he has asked you to be present” He spoke his eyes absorbing every detail about her as they always did when in her presence.  
“Very well” Caoimhe said quietly walking out in to the hallway, not waiting for Aethelwulf. 

King Ecbert smiled as his ward entered followed shortly by his son who had a look of distaste on his face, no doubt after being dismissed by the beautiful Irish Princess.  
“Niece!” King Aelle boomer crushing his late sisters daughter in a tight embrace.  
“Uncle” Caoimhe said her lips twitched in to a small smile – hardly believing that she hared blood with this oaf who calls himself a King. Caoimhe took her seat to the left of Aethelwulf as usual, listening to the Kings drone on about territory, harvests and any tidbits of news from the East they had managed to get there hands on.  
“So Ecbert when will you let my niece leave this godforsaken place and return home with me to Northumbria” Aelle said taking a large gulp of his wine levelling the flaxen king with a beady eyed stare.  
“Aelle this is something I had wished to talk to you about upon your arrival. Perhaps Caoimhe should see where her kin live and come from. Let her walk the halls of her ancestral home. I will have her take my son with her after all the more time time they spend together the more time my son has to woo your beautiful niece. What a fine pair they would make, truly” Ecbert said with a grin has he eyed the pair who appeared to be paying no mind to the Kings conversation. Aelle thought about the pair being tied together in matrimony it would cement the two Kingdoms together permanently so long as both families stayed in power.

Caoimhe kept an open ear to this conversation and resisted the urge to snap a witty retort about how she would rather been drawn and quatered alive, than marry Aethelwulf but she kept it inside. Just the thought of marrying the lovesick fool of a Prince churned her stomach in the most unpleasant of ways.  
“We will speak more of the topic later” Ecbert said watching the other Lords and Kings talk amongst themselves, all the while plans formed in his mind about his ward and son.

### Northumbria 793 AD

King Aelle sat upon his throne a look of sheer bewilderment and anger flashed quickly across his face as the bishops and men of God babbled on in front of him.  
“An attack on the Holy Island it is blasphemy!” An enraged elder of the church exclaimed his face turning an unhealthy shade of red.  
“350 years Lindisfarne has stood as a place of peace and worship. How dare those pagan heathens desecrate our sacred island of prayer” Another bishop ranted. Aelle blinked coming back out of his angry stupor momentarily.

“Send soldiers to reinforce the island and keep watches on all beaches and docks. We do not want these heathens to have any opportunities to invade” He ordered to a nearby general before waving him away. He sank back in to his throne taking a long sip of his wine thinking on his next actions.  
Caoimhe mentally replayed the conversation she had just witnessed, eyebrows raised and confusion evident as she walked the hallways. Of course she could see why the pagans had invaded the church the amount of gold and silver in those halls of worship were exorbitant. However there were still questions on how they managed to build such boats to travel that distance with their primitive technology. One thing Caoimhe was sure of however that this would surely be one of many raids to come from these Vikings.

Aethelwulf called for his servants to immediately start packing up their things. Enlightened by the recent news of the Viking raids, his father had ordered both him and Caoimhe return to Wessex claiming it far too dangerous for either of them to be present at that time. He searched the castle for sign of his betrothed until finally he found her sat in the courtyard alone. The pair’s betrothal had come mere days after the idea first came to fruition at the Kings Council. Much to the sheer joy of Aethelwulf and the fiery anger of Caoimhe. However, realistically the only real surprise was that it took the Kings so long to make the match and that it was not ordered and arranged much sooner. 

“My father has sent word, we are to leave in a few hours to return home” Aethelwulf spoke quietly his hand coming to rest on the back of her neck, his thumb tracing smooth circles on the pale skin of her shoulder.  
“Very well I shall inform my men” Caoimhe said quietly before standing and heading in the direction of her one remaining piece of home – Councilman Bautner. The Prince stood there feeling foolish at being brushed off once again by his future wife and despite the arrangement, still feeling like he had gained nothing of her favour.


	3. Chapter 3

### Kingdom of Wessex – 797 AD

King Ecbert stood tall atop the tower atop the lookout tower his keen eyes taking in his surroundings. It had been four years since the Vikings had sacked King Aelle’s Holy Island – Lindisfarne. Suitably knocking the oversized and overconfident King Aelle down to a somewhat tolerable level. The country had been walking on a blade's edge since the attacks and although it had been several years the fear leading up to the summer time was palpable never waning, just waiting. 

Other things had been plaguing the King recently. His ward, Princess Caoimhe, had spent several years up North exploring her mothers homeland getting to grips with the Northern culture. His men had been set with a message recently urging her return so that his son's union with the Princess could happen in the Autumn.   
“Your Grace, ships have been spotted off the South-West coast” A soldier spoke loudly bowing low as he entered the Throne Room. A satisfied smile bloomed across the King's face, _finally,_ he thought after waiting so many years the Vikings were finally here – a worthy foe.

### Wexham – 50 Miles South-West

The waves crashed violently against the English shoreline carrying with her the long ships belonging the Vikings from Denmark, already needing to quench their blood thirst.  
“Priest, do you know of this place?” Ragnar asked loudly his luminous eyes staring expectantly at his priest, Athelstan's answer was cut off as a noise interrupted him. Atop the hill in front a small band of soldiers on horseback came forward, ready for an attack, every muscle tensed in anticipation.  
“You are trespassing, get back on your ships and leave this place you Godless heathens” The general leading the patrol shouted his blood turning cold at the look he received from the band of savages as they let out deep laughs readying their weapons. A twisted grin settled upon Ragnar's face as he turned his body, charging forward in to battle.

-

The band of Vikings stood around the corpses of the fallen soldiers an air of smug victory surrounding them. Movement caught the eye of Floki he grinned malevolently at the soldier who was trying to crawl away unnoticed, an arrow embedded in between his shoulderblades deeply.  
“Well, look what we have here my brothers!” Floki cried skipping excitedly over to the soldier before digging his foot harshly into the man's ribs flipping him on to his back laughing as the soldier let out a groan of pain.   
“Priest, come talk to our unfortunate friend here” Ragnar said eyeing the soldier up with an interested look in his eyes. “Ask him what this place is and who rules here” Ragnar continued crouching close.  
Athelstan nodded with a small sigh before looking down on the soldier and repeating the questions in the soldiers native tongue.  
“Wessex, please do not kill me” The man whimpered pathetically letting out another groan of pain as Floki pushed down on his chest with his foot further embedding the arrow.   
“Well, what does he say” Rollio demanded with a look of distaste at the Englishman.  
“We are in Wessex, the Kingdom of King Ecbert. If I remember rightly we should be less than a days ride away from the city” Athelstan said standing straight shooting a look of pity at the soldier, as the light from his eyes faded in to a blank stare.  
“Well then, let us go see the city brothers” Ragnar exclaimed with eyes filled with childlike excitement.

### City of Wessex – Kings Study 

Aethelwulf sat opposite his father a look of annoyance clear upon his face.   
“Father, did you summon me just to watch you sign things. I can assure you I am quite adept at signing my own damned name on a piece of parchment!” Aethelwulf spat impatiently .  
“No my son I did not” Ecbert spoke with a tight smile dropping his quill to the desk he looked up at his son. “I called you here to inquire to how your relationship has been with our Irish Rose after your last visit to her in the North” He asked his smile dropping as Aethelwulf stood quickly out of his chair and began pacing in front of him with a look of anguish on his face.  
“I do not understand her father. Any woman would be grovelling at my feet at the mention of a marriage to me, a prince” He cried a hand coming up to tug at his hair in frustration.  
“She used to at least act civilly, look at me with those green eyes! Now she barely acknowledges my presence and unless I speak to her, she will not speak a word to me. She should be thankful that she is to marry me” Aethelwulf growled his anger rising with every word he spoke as he remembered Caoimhe walking straight past him on several occasions, even going so far as to shun him in public!  
“Calm down, you are a Prince, Aethelwulf – compose yourself! Im sure Caoimhe will come around once she is back home. I have sent an envoy to bring her back from Northumbria within a few days” Ecbert said trying to sate his son's anger knowing all the well that a woman like Caoimhe would not be likely stop her cool front with his son, much of the reason he himself liked the girl so much. A loud knock on the study door broke them both out of their thoughts.   
“Enter” A weedy teenage boy stepped in to the study shaking at the sight of the King.  
“Well boy, what is it?” Ecbert barked his patience wearing thin after his discussion with Aethelwulf.  
“They have arrived your Grace, they have taken out two groups of soldiers on patrol around the Wexham area. They are on their way to the City, my Lord”


End file.
